Resistance fighters from the Sagaing Region town of Tamu say they have killed at least 26 junta soldiers and police officers in three different attacks since Sunday.
In one ambush early on Tuesday morning in the town, which sits at the Indian border, the local People’s Defence Force (PDF) chapter said it killed seven and wounded eight at a police outpost where some 30 soldiers and police were stationed.
“They had been stationed there for quite some time,” a spokesperson for the group told Myanmar Now. “They asked for money from people who passed through the area on motorbikes and looted food from local residents.”
The PDF fighters used AK-47s, traditional Tumi hunting rifles and grenades during the clash, he said. Junta forces returned fire but the PDF suffered no casualties and had the upper hand because they were familiar with the local territory, he added.
In a separate ambush on Monday, the Tamu PDF said it killed 17 at a junta checkpoint on a section of the Asian Highway that passes through the town.
And on Sunday the group said it bombed a high school compound where junta soldiers were stationed, killing two of them. In a statement posted on social media the group said it would continue to attack those who support the junta using any means at its disposal.
The situation in Tamu has remained stable despite the attacks, a local resident told Myanmar Now, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Things are normal and people are going about their usual business,” the resident said. “I haven’t heard of any inspections, but regime authorities announced with military trucks and fire trucks that they would reward those who inform them about the activities of PDF and NLD members.”
Tamu’s residents were among the first in the country to take up arms against the junta after the February 1 coup. They began launching guerilla attacks in April using single-shot hunting rifles, and have since seized more sophisticated weapons from junta targets.
